PDF Project WET Discovering Drought Lesson Plan

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Project WET Discovering Drought

Lesson Plan

Grade: 3rd - 6th Subject: Science

Introduction: As of August 7, 2012, the National Drought Mitigation Center reported that 52 percent of the United States and Puerto Rico are experiencing moderate or worse drought. Most likely your students have heard this in the news or listened to adults talk about the national drought and raised questions of their own. Without proper context, students may have misconceptions about drought, which can lead to students feeling anxious and scared. Although drought is a serious topic, it can be presented in a way that empowers your students with knowledge and the opportunity to take action. Below is a free lesson plan-- complete with extensions, evaluations and pre/post-test questions--designed for providing context for use of Project WET's Discovering Drought activity booklet.

Topic: Discovering Drought

Hot, dry days, strange weather--are we in a drought? Drought is a period

of water shortage, when a lack of normal precipitation produces dry

conditions lasting as long as several years. In many areas of the world,

droughts are a normal, recurring climate condition. Some of the earliest

Background:

human climate accounts describe droughts and their consequences. Some hunter-gatherer and animal migrations are attributed to drought.

The Discovering Drought Lesson Plan explores droughts, the consequences of a drought, and what you can do to be prepared for or deal with a drought.

This lesson plan uses Project WET's Discovering Drought activity booklet

to help you give students a better understanding of droughts and how

Goals:

droughts might affect them, as well as actions they can take to conserve water. The framework of this lesson plan is based on "the five E's"

learning-cycle model (engagement, exploration, explanation, elaboration

(extension) and evaluation).

? 2012 by the Project WET Foundation

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Students will:

1. Explain the climate condition of drought.

2. List some of the consequences of drought.

3. Compare and contrast weather and climate.

Objectives:

4. Explore cause-and-effect relationships between weather, climate and drought.

5. Identify famous historic droughts around the world and in their area.

6. Investigate how to conserve water for future use during dry times.

7. Identify signs of drought on the landscape.

8. Use tree rings (dendrochronology) to identify periods of drought.

9. List actions they can take personally to help conserve water.

Materials:

? Discovering Drought activity booklet (enough for 1 booklet per two students)

? Optional Internet access and computers (enough for six groups) or a Farmers' Almanac

Each of the seven activity spreads can be completed in about twenty Classroom Time: minutes. Discussion and wrap-up will take another fifteen to twenty

minutes.

Beginning on the "What is Drought? spread from the Discovering Drought activity booklet, instruct the students to read the text and complete the "Figure It Out!" graph. Have students determine the average amount of Introduction snow for five years. Discuss how they determined the average. (Engagement): For a technology extension, have students review the water cycle using "The Water Cycle" page from Project WET website . "The Blue Traveler" game is a great supplement.

Instruct students to explore the Discovering Drought activity booklet, Activity individually or in pairs. There are many ways to accomplish this exercise. (Exploration): For example, you could have students do one spread per day when they

first arrive to your class.

? 2012 by the Project WET Foundation

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Group discussion about drought in YOUR area. Use the following

questions as prompts for a class discussion.

? What is a drought?

? Why do farmers and city water managers study snow and rain

amounts?

? What type of climate does your area have?

? What type of weather is typical for your area this time of year?

? Can you give an example of drought in another place in the world?

At another time in history?

? What are water users doing to address the drought or plan for

Explanation:

future drought? ? What adaptations do some plants and animals have to survive

drought?

? What can you do to address a current or future drought?

Students should come to the discussion prepared and use what they have learned in the Discovering Drought activity booklet.

Writing assignment: Each student should write a paragraph addressing the following question, using vocabulary introduced in Discovering Drought and supporting their points using facts and details from the reading.

? How are weather, climate and drought related?

Deepen the lesson by using data and examples that are specific to the area in which your students live from information garnered from agencies such as The Weather Channel (), The National Weather Service (NWS) () NWS Climate Prediction Center (cpc.ncep.) and the U.S. Drought Monitor (droughtmonitor.unl.edu/).

Elaboration (or Students can research droughts as discussed in the "Another Time and Extension) : Place" spread (pages 6 & 71) to understand drought and it's impacts

worldwide.

Also, you could use the "Use Water Wisely" and "We All Use Water" pages on to explore ways that water is used and ways you can conserve water. Ask students to use the take action items from these pages and create their own personalized Take Action Poster to remind them to conserve.

1 Pages 5-6 for the 1st and 2nd Printings of Discovering Drought

? 2012 by the Project WET Foundation

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Here are some suggested ways to evaluate your students' learning:

? Use the Discovering Drought activity booklet as a graded assignment.

Evaluation:

? Have students take the Discovering Drought Pre/Post-Test provided.

? Use the Take Action Poster as a graded assignment.

? Ask students to write three paragraphs that answer the following question. How does drought affect my area currently and how has drought affected it in the past?

? 2012 by the Project WET Foundation

5 Pre/Post Test--Discovering Drought Lesson Plan Name: ___________________________ Date: ____________________________ 1. What is drought? 2. What is one consequence of drought for farmers? 3. What is the name of the severe drought that the U.S. experienced in the 1930s? 4. What is an aquifer? 5. List three signs of drought that you can see in the landscape.

6. How can tree rings be used to research drought?

7. List three things you can do to conserve water and prepare for a drought.

? 2012 by the Project WET Foundation

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